Mouth breathing as clear events

Last two nights I've had AHIs of 2.45 of which 1.5 was clear airway apneas. With a nasal pillow and some allergy congestion could I be mouth breathing at times and triggering false clear airway events? Obstructive and hypopneas make up the other 1, no unclassifieds.

What does you leak rate look like around the time of a CA event?

Sub 20 but flow rate is peaking. What does that imply?

Why do you assume that the Clear Airway events are false? IMO..you are nit picking. If your AHI is low and you are sleeping and feeling well, don't worry about the details.

Remember that a few centrals are considered normal to have show up anyway. Like sleep onset centrals or sleep stage transition centrals.
Could mouth breathing alone get flagged by mistake? Not unless you pause your breathing itself. Hold your breath type of thing.
You can look at the flow rate and see if the flow is reduced.
Could you be mouth breathing and be holding your breath inadvertently while awake or semi awake ? Sure and then the machine would likely give that pause a central flag.
Mouth breathing doesn't interrupt the flow of air and the machine looks for interruptions/reduction of air flow. If the mouth breathing isn't huge then it may not even show up on the leak graphs. I have tested this myself while awake and have proof.

Are you taking allergy meds? If you are that could be causing the problem. I sleep lighter and have more disruptions when I use them.

No allergy meds but not sleeping as well this week. More congestion with seasonal allergies I think.

So, Clear Airway and centrals are the same thing?

If I get a congested nose and then stop breathing until my mouth opens reflexively will that look like this?

Not hugely worried LSAT but annoying that I've gone from 1 to 2+ on AHI...

englandsf wrote:So, Clear Airway and centrals are the same thing?

Yes.

When SleepyHead was first written it was written for a Respironics machine which uses the term "Clear Airway" and the ResMed machines were added later and ResMed uses the term Central. They are both open airway cessation of breathing.

Thanks

englandsf wrote: With a nasal pillow and some allergy congestion could I be mouth breathing at times and triggering false clear airway events?

just a point of order, if your nose was congested to the point where you'd have to breath through your mouth, and the machine scored an apnea, it would score an *obstructive* apnea, because the airway to your lungs would be blocked.

Good point pr, but I do get some weird air flow when my mouth is open and my nose is partially blocked.

Maybe I'm adjusting the pillows and creating another confusing or odd flow

englandsf wrote:Maybe I'm adjusting the pillows and creating another confusing or odd flow

you'd have high leaks if that were it... did you?

Nope, just high flow.

englandsf wrote:Nope, just high flow.

and do you know what that means?